[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 244 (Thursday, December 21, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 88375-88376]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28121]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Implementation of Vessel Speed Restrictions To Reduce the 
Threat of Ship Collisions With North Atlantic Right Whales

    The Department of Commerce will submit the following information 
collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. We invite the 
general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and 
continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of 
our information collection requirements and minimize the public's 
reporting burden. Public comments were previously requested via the 
Federal Register on September 22, 2023 (88 FR 65367) during a 60-day 
comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public 
comments.
    Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Commerce.
    Title: Implementation of Vessel Speed Restrictions to Reduce the 
Threat of Ship Collisions with North Atlantic Right Whales.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0580.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular submission. Extension of a current 
information collection.
    Number of Respondents: 3,624.
    Average Hours per Response: Five minutes for safety deviation 
logbook entry; one hour for electronic survey; two hours and 30 minutes 
for focus groups.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 674.
    Needs and Uses: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is 
requesting renewal of a currently approved collection of information. 
On October 10, 2008, NMFS published a final rule with regulations 
(0648-AS36) implementing seasonal speed restrictions along the east 
coast of the U.S. to reduce the incidence and severity of vessel 
collisions with endangered North Atlantic right whales (73 FR 60173). 
The final rule contained a mandatory collection-of-information 
requirement subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). Specifically, 
50 CFR 224.105(c) requires a logbook entry to document that a deviation 
from the speed limit was necessary for safe maneuverability under 
certain conditions. On November 18, 2021, the information collection 
was revised to include a voluntary survey of vessel operators to 
evaluate their ability and willingness to: (1) comply with North 
Atlantic right whale mandatory speed restrictions, and (2) cooperate 
with voluntary speed reduction efforts to protect North Atlantic right 
whales, which are promoted through NMFS outreach efforts. NOAA collects 
information from two types of vessels (pleasure yachts and large ocean-
going vessels) in two different areas of the North Atlantic right 
whales' range using voluntary online surveys and small focus groups. 
The surveys collect information about vessel operators' time spent on 
the water, experience and knowledge about large whales, knowledge of 
North Atlantic vessel strike reduction efforts, opinions about these 
whales and conservation efforts, and their preferred means of receiving 
information. Results from this information collection will be used to 
develop effective outreach to these vessel communities, with the long-
term goal of improving the communities' compliance with mandatory 
measures and cooperation with voluntary measures that support North 
Atlantic right whale vessel strike reduction conservation efforts.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; Business or other for-
profit organizations.
    Frequency: Logbook: As needed; Surveys and Focus Groups: Once
    Respondent's Obligation: Logbook entries are required to lawfully 
deviate from the speed regulations; survey is voluntary.

[[Page 88376]]

    Legal Authority: Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.; 
and Marine Mammal Protection Act, 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.
    This information collection request may be viewed at 
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view the Department of 
Commerce collections currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of 
this notice on the following website www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. 
Find this particular information collection by selecting ``Currently 
under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search 
function and entering either the title of the collection or the OMB 
Control Number 0648-0580.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023-28121 Filed 12-20-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P